How do we, like the Phoenix, rise from our own ashes?

February 19, 2015

Hosted by Gilles Asselin

Episode Description

A Tragic Misconception
In a desert land of Arabian horses, an orphaned foal was raised by a family of camels. As the young colt grew, he plodded tirelessly across the hot sands. He toted large burdens of cargo on his back, and he watered his parched mouth at every oasis. Once he kicked up his heels in a sudden impulse to run, but then only swayed at a lumbering pace, because-that's the way camels are supposed to run, aren't they?
After many years of camel life, the Arabian steed grew old and tired. One day, as his weary eyes looked out across a sea of land, he saw a magnificent horse galloping at full speed like the wind, his shiny mane streaming out from his noble head.
"What a beautiful animal!" exclaimed the elderly orphan. "What is it?"
"That's an Arabian horse, fastest and most beautiful of all the animals in our land," answered one of the camels.
"Wouldn't it be wonderful to run like that?" mused the old horse. But he put it out of his mind, and died thinking he was a camel.

Nurturing the Spiritual Spelunker in All of Us

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There is a reason why every human is born in this world; and as many reasons as there are human beings thriving on the planet. These reasons for BEING are there to be explored, nurtured, owned, and harvested, in the depth of our unique beingness.

There are a number of religious people, gurus or masters who claim to know and teach THE truth. Yet, once we reach a certain level of mature curiosity, we realize that we can’t be told where to look for it. It is entirely up to us, and us only.

In the end, it is our responsibility to acknowledge and listen to the little voice that calls from within and forge on the path of “spiritual spelunking.” It takes courage and confidence not only to start, but to assiduously continue on the journey, knowing the most beautiful inner vistas are ours to savor once we reach deeper levels of awareness.

It is my privilege to invite you to walk the journey within. It will be my pleasure to be your host and companion on the path.

Gilles Asselin

From a childhood in Western Europe to a few years of working in Africa, my life journey has taken me across several belief systems. Searching for a new educational frontier, I crossed the Atlantic and ended up studying psychology in Wisconsin. My curiosity for people led me to work in the field of intercultural relations. For 20 years, I trained people in cultural self-awareness and understanding.

My spiritual path has taken me through various routes. At the end of 2007, I decided to leave the religious organization I had been practicing with for a number of years. I was confused as to why it happened so abruptly. I later had a profound realization while reading a quote from Anne Hillman’s book, Awakening the Energies of Love.

“It wasn’t until my mid-forties that I mentioned my dilemma with the church to a colleague who’d once been a Dominican priest. He told me the story of a beautiful tree in the center of a garden, surrounded by a high stone wall. He likened the tree to a person searching for the sacred and the wall to the boundaries defined by her religion.”

“The tree needs to grow out of the garden. Its branches need room to expand and spread wide. They need to reach far outside the garden’s walls for they cannot be contained by the wall’s limits. But the tree always remains rooted in the garden.”

I am committed to spreading the branches of my tree and providing guidance and companionship to those willing to explore their inner lives.